


Innocence

by WolfaMoon



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, F/M, Getting to Know Each Other, Guide Lucas Sinclair, Guide Mike Wheeler, Guide Steve Harrington, Hurt Steve Harrington, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Protective Eleven | Jane Hopper, Protective Steve Harrington, Season/Series 02, Sentinel Eleven | Jane Hopper, Sentinel Jim "Chief" Hopper, Sentinel Will Byers, Sentinel/Guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:08:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23827369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfaMoon/pseuds/WolfaMoon
Summary: Eleven is an alpha sentinel. A sentinel is a person who has hyper acute senses. They are helped with their senses by the influence of a guide. A guide can help them balance out and not get lost in their senses (Zone out). Season 2.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & The Party, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler
Kudos: 16





	Innocence

Innocence  
By: Wolfa Moon  
Summary: Eleven is an alpha sentinel. A sentinel is a person who has hyper acute senses. They are helped with their senses by the influence of a guide. A guide can help them balance out and not get lost in their senses (Zone out). Season 2.  
Disclaimer: No Own.  
Song: “Innocence” – Cannon Division

INNOCENCE

Eleven is an alpha sentinel. A sentinel is a person who has hyper acute senses. They are helped with their senses by the influence of a guide. A guide can help them balance out and not get lost in their senses (Zone out). These designations are known in the world. But not truly believed. There are some books and papers but to whom these are gifted must be discovered on their own. The government wants to control this gift. Hence Brenner’s research in enhancing those alphas he found. When Eleven meets Mike he was the first guide she had ever meet. He is a low-level gamma guide. Lucas is a beta guide, which made Mike feel threatened of Lucas who could possibly take El away from him. That was their tiff in season 1.   
When Hopper finds her, it is El’s first time around another sentinel but not an alpha. Brenner kept his control on the numbers because of his alpha status and father figure presence. That’s not completely true. It’s her first time alone with a solitary sentinel. Dustin is a slight sentinel. He has good hearing and touch. Will is a sentinel too as his heightened senses are touches and sight. Most of the people taken by the demogorgons were sentinels.   
Yet now after finding her sentinel sister Kali she is more drawn to go home.   
“Is something waiting for you?” Kali asks looking over at Dottie, her guide.  
“I have to go back.” El says affirmatively.   
“And you don’t know why?” Kali knew that feeling of being drawn to somewhere.  
“I need to save them.”  
“Maybe there is something waiting for you back there but not what you think.”

-I-

El made it back to the Byers to see the demodogs circling. Concentrating on it she throws it through the window. Stepping inside she feels the change. Mike steps toward her and she is happy. Then there is Hopper coming in trying to alpha up as much as he can but he is not to her level and he bows his head to her as she does back to him. Tilting her head she hugs Mike but steps back to see the person she felt. Her tiger spirit guide is roaming around the one holding a nailed bat. His eyes look gently on her and Dustin comes up beside Steve. Dustin looks to Steve than to El.  
“Whoa.” Dustin moves a side step away from Steve. Mike steps back from El as she moves toward Steve.  
“El?” Mike tries but is ignored by that inner pull of finding your other half. By a scent that is stronger than any other she has ever smelled. Her eyes focusing on every inch of the man in front of her. “El?” Mike tries again. Mike had felt lost without her but maybe it was her aura of alpha prowess.   
Steve is staring at her as she is staring at him. Tilting his head he sees her tiger spirit animal and then his own lion spirit guide coming up to rub against hers. Normally with an alpha sentinels their spirit guide is feline while their guides is canine. Or so it is believed. Guess this sentinel needs one with a powerful animal guide.   
“Hello,” Steve says.  
“Hello guide.” El says before moving forward hugging him. Steve is in shock because he knew he was a guide but everyone perceived him as an alpha sentinel because of his animal spirit guide. Steve reaches out to hold her and it’s like everything before doesn’t matter. Everything he was is here.   
“Hello sentinel.”  
“What!?!” Mike screeches. El turns to Mike still holding tightly onto Steve.  
“He’s my guide.”  
“Him?” Mike storms off and out of the living room.  
“Wicked,” Dustin says. “You’re a guide?” Steve shrugs before letting go of El.  
“As much as I want to continue this we don’t have time.” Steve informs her.  
“I know.” She responds letting go but not fully stepping away from him.

-I-

Hopper looks to El before they leave to the lab. Nodding his head toward Steve.  
“Go balance your senses. It Will do you good.” El looks to Mike who is angry and vibrating in the corner. She does not have time for that. Moving to Steve who is helping Dustin with something.  
“Guide,” she calls to Steve. Dustin groans.  
“His name is Steve.” Dustin tells her. Steve may not be his guide but he Will protect a guide from sentinels who think of guides as servants. El looks to Steve.  
“I’m sorry, Steve.” Steve smiles before coming over and pulling her into a hug. She hums in content. Knowing what she needs. His guide calling to his sentinel.  
“Can you hear my heart?” El nods. “Good, focus.” She leans more into him. Steve runs his fingers through her hair. “You feel my fingers?”  
“Yes.” Smiling as she leans into his touch. She can feel herself centering. Everything acute but every sense she can control better than ever.  
“What do you smell?” Moving along the list of senses in his head. Doing what felt right on instinct than on actual knowledge and experience.  
“You.” Steve looks down at her.  
“What do I smell like?” El takes a deep breath in, out. She moves forward to take another breath closer to her guide.  
“Dirt, salt, wood, plant, something pretty.” She twitches her nose. Steve huffs smiling.  
“Hairspray. Look at me.” El looks up at him. Her eyes take in his face, his eyes and hair. Finally returning to stare into Steve’s eyes. “Good.” Steve bends over and El lifts her head up and Steve kisses her, gently. El taste him and taste water, mint, and there is more. She grabs a hold of him and kisses deeper.  
“EL!” Hopper voices loud which causes the two to jump apart. El moves in front of Steve as Hopper glares hard at Steve.   
“Mine,” she voices her ownership. Protecting her guide.  
”He’s yours.” Hopper tells her. Jim knew about sentinels and how protective they are of their guides. Knew too many who went insane when they lost theirs in the war. Hopper still glares at Steve, which causes El to growl. Steve lays a hand on her and she instantly relaxes. “He’s yours alright.” Hopper says before moving toward the door. El turns to Steve.  
“Be safe.” El tells Steve.  
“I’m babysitting.” She glares at him. “I’ll be safe.”

-I-

When Billy came storming in Mike shriveled back at the alpha sentinel pressing on and attacking. His presence radiating but then Steve came in and attacked the sentinel. A guide standing up. Mike watches as Steve fights Billy. But then Billy gets the upper hand, by cheating.  
Max never truly knew what she was till that moment when she stood up to Billy. She may not be his level of prowess but he is hurting a guide. So she attacks.  
“Ha, look at you.” Billy laughs bloody through the drugs and whatever. “A sentinel defending a sentinel. Just shows how far you’ve fallen from being an alpha sentinel King Steve.”  
“He’s an alpha guide.” Max informs Billy and watches his face twist. Then She proceeds to threaten Billy with the bat.

-I-

Even though the kids had disobeyed him and Steve had saved them once again in the adventure. He stills in checking the kids as he feels it. They aren’t in the tunnels anymore when the lights brighten. Steve closes his eyes as he feels El power up. So that was that sensation pulling at the back of his head. Brushing it off with running his hand through his hair. She needed more. Focusing on her he lets her take. The lights grow brighter then it stops. So does Steve. He collapses to the ground much to the frantic cries of the kids.

-I-

Hopper is driving El back to the Byers when she gasps from her stupor of exhaustion.  
“Stop.” She commands.  
“What? El?”  
“Steve, he’s hurt. That way.” She points past Hopper’s face to a road in the dark. Hopper goes down the road he knows.  
“He’s here?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’m going to have a word with him.” They stop at seeing the sports car. Hopper gets out to give Steve a piece of his mind yet stops when he sees the boy collapsed on the ground and the group standing protective around him. “What the hell happened?”  
The group explained to Hopper what had happened with Billy and the fight.   
Looking in the backseat of his truck he sees El holding Steve’s head in her lap stroking his hair.  
“He protected us,” Dustin tells Hopper.  
“That’s not the point.” He looks over the party. “A guide is just as much a part of a sentinel as a sentinel is part of the guide. To those of us who are true. She needed his strength to do what she did. He knew this but adding this venture on top. They are both going to be out of it for a while.”  
“So she drew energy from Steve?” Mike asks.   
“What do they teach you about sentinels and guides in school?”  
“Not a lot.” Lucas voices.  
“You have a lot to learn.” Hopper pulls them into the Byers driveway. Stopping he moves to grab Steve and take him inside the house. El growls at Hop.  
“Steve’s yours but lets get him inside and check him out.” El concedes before following Hopper on autopilot. As soon as he lays Steve on Jonathan’s bed El climbs in to lay beside him.  
“Why is she like that?” Mike asks.  
“Beloved protective guide syndrome. She is protecting what is her’s and that is Steve.”  
Mike stands guard by the door. Hopper rests a hand on him.  
“She’s not going anywhere.”  
“Why him?” Mike asks.  
“It’s a mystery.”  
“I wanted it to be me.”  
“And some part of her probably does too. But right now she needs her guide and that is Steve. Give her time.”  
“Why? I lost.” Mike leaves the room. Hop looks up to the heavens.  
“Spirits help me.”

-I-  
El could swear she heard purring. Then there is chuffing in her ear. Waking up she freezes as Steve’s male lion spirit guide is looking at her.   
“Hello,” she says to the lion that is taking her in.  
“He’s a pussy cat.” Steve slurs. Eleven sits up slightly to look at Steve who is wincing at the light coming in through the window. “You okay?”  
“Drained. You’re hurt.”  
“Yeah,” sighing. “Next time I’ll fight the monster you can keep the kids in line.”  
“No.”  
“I’m joking.” Eleven tilts her head listening out the door. “What is it?”  
“Mike? He is with Will.”  
“So he found his sentinel?”  
“I… maybe. I feel happy, angry, and sad.”  
“Then do you want me to leave so you can..”  
“NO!” she flops down gripping tight to Steve. “NO! You are mine.” Steve smiles warmly at her placing a strand of her hair behind her ear.   
“Yes, I’m yours.” He lets his head hit the pillow again staring up at the posters on the ceiling. “I think I need to give Jonathan back his bed.”  
“You’re fine.” Jonathan says at the door with Nancy tucked into his side. “Guess everyone is finding their other half today.”  
“So is Hopper finally admitting he likes your mom?” Steve asks Jonathan, a fellow guide.   
“Nope, that one is not happening anytime soon.” Jonathan tells knowing it is more his mom than Hopper. She had been hurt in the past and it is still hard for her to have a commanding sentinel presence in the house.   
“Okay.” Steve takes a deep breath trying to make the pain fade into the background. He has to get up. Breathing deep he lets the pain flow out. A technique he learned long ago and still works. Move past the pain. Sitting up the room spins. There is grip on his hand and everything stops swirling. Looking to El he squeezes her hand back. “Thanks.”  
“You’re still hurt. Stop hiding.” Steve shakes his head.  
“This is going to take a while to get use too.”  
“I know.” She sits beside him and rest on him.   
“Steve,” Nancy calls. “I’m sorry.”  
“It all turned out for the best. If I didn’t try with you I wouldn’t have her now. Every path has a destination.”  
“That’s very philosophical of you.” Nancy says in shock looking at the jock before her.  
“Fortune cookie.” Standing up, “Speaking of food, I’ll start cooking.”  
“I don’t know if we have anything in,” Jonathan voices.  
“Ah, yeah. I think Dustin owes you food…” Nancy and El smell the air. Steve and Jonathan share a look as their sentinels smell deep. “What do you smell?”  
“Penny’s,” Nancy provides. Benny’s had been bought by the other dinner in town Penny’s 1. Benny’s became Penny’s 2.   
“Hopper,” El provided.  
The two duos move into the living room to see Hopper move into the kitchen with bags of food.   
“Got breakfast since there is nothing here. Not even milk for cereal. And there is a demo dog in the fridge.”  
“That was me.” Dustin says entering the room opening a bag. Steve hits Dustin’s hand away as he begins to get food out. Jonathan moves to grab plates.  
“Got breakfast sandwiches for everyone and some pancakes too. Hope people are hungry.” Taking in the kids piling in and taking food.  
“Thanks Hop.” Joyce says entering the room as the kids gather stuff on their plates and move back to the living room. “You didn’t have too.”  
“We needed food.” Hopper hands her a filled plate and moves to sit and watch the kids in the living room. Observing El who has situated herself between Steve’s legs and is happily eating and both sharing bacon and pancakes.  
“He’s seems a good kid.” Joyce says noticing Hopper focusing on the duo.  
“He’s older than her.”  
“4 years and you know that stuff isn’t bound to human rules. Besides he’s different to what his reputation is.” Hopper nods his head. He knows the rumors too. Rich kid, keg king, Steve “the Hair” Harrington. Yet when he actually looks upon him he is not the reputation. He’s a kid who had to hide who he is and be the reputation. An alpha guide would have been picked up by the government to keep their soldiers in line. Or Brenner would have used him to control his numbers. An alpha guide would be considered for the military but more so if he had his sentinel. Realizing the kid hid who he is. “It’s a shame he had to hide who he is and suffer through all those years alone.”  
“What do you know that I don’t?” Joyce eats some of her eggs.   
“He shops for himself. Never seen any of his parents in forever. Guides need to be around people and balanced atmosphere. He’s never had that. His shields must be amazing.” Guides are like extreme empaths. They know how to read a room and feel it all. So to hide what he is. Not let his emotions encompass a room his shields must be cinder block walls. “Oh no.” Joyce sets her plate down to slide in beside Steve and catch his head.  
“What’s wrong with him?” Mike asks with a tone.  
“He’s injured and recharging.” Joyce says as she feels his hot brow. “Jonathan can he take your bed again?”  
“Yeah mom.” Hopper moves in beside her and scoops up Steve.  
“Kid’s so light.” El stands there lost looking as Steve is taken away. Joyce grabs her hand.  
“Let’s take your food into the bedroom and you can sit and watch over him.”  
“I drained him.” El says with knowledge and truth. She had done it before because Papa had asked her too. To use someone else’s energy as her own. While fighting she had felt that need and trickle in the back of her head. Then it began to overflow and spill into her.  
“He’ll be okay.” Joyce says guiding El into her son’s bedroom.

*I*

The two adults situate the alphas in the room and step outside.  
“Should we take him to the doctors?” Hopper ponders.  
“Not unless you explain all of this. He just needs to rest around people who care for him.”  
“I don’t think having two exs in the same room is doing any good for that kid’s walls.”  
“Maybe you should take them to your cabin. Away from all of this, them.”   
“You can’t take them away.” Dustin voices.”  
“Kid, he needs neutral ground and those two,” pointing to Mike and Nancy. “Are not helping him. It’s making him worst. Yeah you two.” The Wheeler siblings look at him in shock. “Yeah, you too are toxic and don’t even try to argue, both of you.” Nancy hunches in looking slightly affronted but guilty. Mike just looks pissed. “Let’s go.”

*I*

Steve had no clue where he was. All he knew was that everything was so loud and draining but now it is muted. Well not completely. There is,  
“Eleven?”  
“Steve,” Eleven replies taking his hand. Opening his eyes he sees her.  
“What happened? Where?”  
“We are at Hopper’s cabin. Needed away from others.”  
“To bond?” bonding meant many things. In books it dealt with sex and other spiritual mumbo jumbo that got romanticized and made into cheesy romance movies. Basically two halves becoming one. She moves hair out of his face.  
“You are mine.”  
“And I am yours.”

//The End//


End file.
